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So Much News, So Few Posts

Sorry for my absence, folks! Things have been a bit crazy around here with all of the new and exciting tech projects brewing at the library. I’ll give a quick rundown of what’s going on, and future posts will give more detail.

OverDrive, our service provider for downloadable e-books and audiobooks, has completely redesigned their website and checkout process. The new site looks great on any device, and the process of borrowing titles is much more streamlined. I have already updated our print brochures to reflect the changes, and I’m working furiously to update the website, as well. Also, many of the e-book titles are available to read in a browser of your choice – no download required! See our OverDrive READ brochure (PDF) for more information. This bullet point will definitely get its own post. Maybe two.

Starting in May, we are going to make laptops available for checkout within the library. After signing an agreement, cardholders in good standing will be able to borrow a laptop from the Reference Desk for 2.5 hours. Laptops cannot leave the building, but they will provide mobility within the library as well as the opportunity to work in groups. Due to limitations in our printing software, they will be unable to print. However, unlike our wired public computers, patrons will be able to temporarily save documents to the desktop for easy attachment to email. When the laptop is shut down, any changes made by the user will be wiped out. Head to the Reference Desk for more details.

In May, we will be completely revamping our public computing areas. Our current computers are getting slow and outdated. We will be replacing them with state-of-the art, blazing fast thin clients. This will allow us to offer additional internet browser options, Microsoft Office 2010, Windows 7, temporary saving of documents, and the return of many popular features, such as right-clicking! It will also make it much easier for yours truly to keep them updated and secure. Please be patient with us as we learn and deploy the new system. I will keep you updated as we make progress.

For the last two months, library staff members have been participating in a technology training program called Connect 2 U. The aim of this program was to help our staff become more comfortable with diving in and learning new technology tools that may be useful to both staff and patrons. As a result, you may see more videos showing up on our YouTube channel, ranging from book reviews to tutorials on how to use library services.

We are exploring software options that will allow us to provide chat/text reference services to our patrons. If all goes well, we hope to roll this out in the late summer.

The website we have works well on desktop computers and tablets, but the mobile site we use leaves a bit to be desired. We’re working on an update/redesign that will be friendly to all devices, without requiring the maintenance of two separate websites.

Do you have other tech suggestions for the library? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.